Georgia State University - Rampway Yearbook (Atlanta, GA)

Page 13 text:

Dorothy Alexander Mohammed Ali Ov- ,-YJ xl x Y X he ' we ,rg ' -n 4? .LJ X sl fi! Y ijt 1fF'V?5.kL-- - - ' ' Y 7 .t6,, lfChorus of Heaven Bound , a religious musical drama performed annually at Big Bethel Church on Auburn Avenue. The first performance was in the Municipal Auditorium in 1934. 2fThe Devil repents, 3fDorothy Alexander, founder of the Atlanta Ballet in solo to spoken verse, A Strand of Black Elusive Seaweed , 1929, 4fMr. Furlowe as the devil in Heav' en Bound . 5fThe devil stalks innocence, and 6fDe- liverance from Heaven Bound. 7jFormer Senator LeRoy .Johnson with Mohammed Ali's boxing glove. The Ali fight with Quarry marked his return to the ring and the championship. Student Lifef9

Page 12 text:

Alumni Hall Continued ........................ and the slamming of doors as Georgia State staff and students fill the newly added parking spaces. X On the ground floor of the auditorium, Atlanta's fashionable society, dressed in evening finery, sat listening to Robert Mann's or Henry Sopkin's Symphony or the Metropolitan Opera. The ground floor now houses the Labor Movement Archives and the University Employment Office. This area opens onto a patio today, once the arena for the ice shows and circus or the seating for stage shows. Modern changes have necessitat- ed the removal of the arena which seated over 5,000, but there is today a small theatre with a 200 seating capacity, on the first floor. This is the Speech and Drama Division of the Communications Department which serves students for hands-on stage experience in the performing arts. The remaining room is used for support areas, classrooms, dressing rooms and storage. Yesterdays Taft Hall, named for President Taft, is now named Veteran's Hall in honor of those who served in all wars and in memory of those who did not return from them. Students from GSU are thus remembered. The University welcomes visitors to the campus on the first floor center of new Alumni Hall. From that center, campus tours, information and referrals are made. On the second floor, student placement needs are filled. The latest in electronic services for career placement and temporary employment is available in the Placement Center including both in-house and outside employment. The offices of Development, Alumni and Publications are found together on the third floor. The Alumni office keeps track of all students who have attended the University. This office provides recognition and honor for those students who excel. The Develop- ment Office promotes the University image and raises money for faculty supplements and other worthy functions. The Publications Department provides the printed materials that make us known throughout the region, the nation and abroad. At first, the academic functions of new Alumni Hall sound mundane and dry in comparison to glorious productions by famed artists. But the building is serving for many important functions as an education facility. Foundations for the future are being molded in the Child Development Center. lt is no longer possible to watch a circus elephant balance with one foot on a ball on the first floor, but since February 1983, the Depart- ment of Early Childhood Education has been performing equally polished feats with the day-care center there. ln fact, it has become a model for the nation. This center provides one of the best programs in the South. ln its own field, it rivals the programs of the Municipal Auditorium. Besides quality child care, the center offers especially designed facilities, expert planning for child care facilities and programs and speakers on issues concerning child care, as well as an opportunity for parent involvement, instruction, teacher training, research and development. Happy studentsf parents receive double benefits in education and security for themselves and their children. P7 2-1 n I l Q 46253, ehjlqll, Wg T -Ki TJ ., , ' E -Q I 7.. rj g, .ig-Teri' 5. is Qf , I , -N-P t WN- 95 Lt. .4 -., eff 1' ta sri: Q, S . I 5 ,I 8fStudent Life L .. Heaven Bound i 1 5 -Ji

Page 14 text:

- Y --- an 1 1 I., 1 1-nun Mil r r iam lg-ne, Q ---a'A:-an.- f-----'--U Af - -Y -- - -W..--Y Alllmlii Continued BY GAYLE C. SMITH That Georgia State has an eclectic background and that some of the buildings arose from adaptations of other buildings like parking lots, is a given. But one of the more fascinating histories connected with the buildings is the history of the Georgia Championship Wrestling, held for many years in the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium, later to become the Atlanta Civic Auditorium and then Alumni Hall. The Auditorium saw its share of high brow activity such as the opera and the symphony, but it was the scene of some low brow entertainment as well. And this is where the wrestling came in. Men in trunks, slamming each other around to the tune of cheers and boos from a crosssection of spectators in the stands. l personally know of a very scholarly and dignified professor emeritus who used to be there each Friday to cheer his favorite gladiator and watch the crowds. The allure of the ring was two-fold, you understand, you could watch the wrestlers and you could watch the crowd. Paul Jones and Freddie Miller were the kings of the ring masters. They talked to and ribbed Gorgeous George, the Masked Maurader, Man Mountain Dean fa GSU studentl and El Mongol. They could probably each deliver a lecture of several hours on their favorite moments with wrestling. The sport has a history as old as time, and it has been practiced all over the world. Since the early part of this century, wrestling has taken on a new appearance. No longer do serious journalists cover these ring eventsg the matches are covered by reporters who deliver descriptions of the action with tongue in cheek, if the matches are covered at all. Fifteen years ago, there were an estimated 4 million people all over the United States who attended these spectacles. That figure has now trebled. A sport that includes theatre, dance, comic entertainment, tragic drama, religion and an element of danger remains a phenomenon with a loyal, committed following. Alumni Hall, now the location of GSLl's Child Development Center and the Communications department, was once the site of such matches. The crowds were made up of dedicated fans who lived and breathed wrestling and never missed a fight. The show has now moved up to the OMNI and the number of fans continues to grow, but the official slogan, Professional wrestling, the sport that gives you your money's worth gave an excitement to the Municipal Auditorium that rivaled the opera, symphony or circus. The blend of brutality, grace, skill, and showmanship never seemed to be diluted. The close proximity of the action, the keen sense of performance that the wrestlers themselves had and the clear didactics of the drama all contributed to the excitement. Hey, leggo my eggo . . . l didn't want to come here anyway. Twenty-six wrestlers and about 6,000 pounds 0 meat between them met in the auditorium for a Toss-themover-the-top-rope contest. f I i Gee And